Skip to main content

The popular social media platform TikTok has been the topic of discussion these past months. In Aug 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would ban the app in the United States if an American company did not purchase it by mid-Sep. The Trump administration argued that because TikTok’s parent company BtyeDance is based in China, the data of American users are at risk. Trump declared the app must have U.S based operations separate from those in China to protect American user’s data from being utilized by the Chinese Government. BrandGraph, IZEA’s social intelligence platform, recorded an increase in social media content and engagement for TikTok as American TikTokers expressed fear that their favorite app would be banned.

Also trending this week on BrandGraph were brands like AirBnB and the Denver Nuggets. BrandGraph tracks and records the performance of these brands across social media platforms. See what got these brands trending by taking a closer look at the Top Trending Brands for this week:

Trending Brands for the Week of September 15, 2020

  1. TikTok(@TikTok)
  2. Airbnb(@airbnb)
  3. Dallas Stars(@dallasstars)
  4. Apple(apple)
  5. Denver Nuggets(@nuggets)

ByteDance’s deadline to sell the U.S Operations of TikTok to an American company was Sep 15. On Sep 13, ByteDance rejected Microsoft’s offer to buy TikTok, that same day they announced they’ll sell TikTok to tech company Oracle. TikTok’s United States operations were sold by the deadline but Trump’s threat of banning the app still stood. On Sep 18, it was announced that downloads of TikTok would be banned in the United States starting Sep 20 with a complete ban of the app set for Nov. This announcement was met with outrage on social media, with people making claims that the ban is censorship and a violation of free speech. The Trump Administration eventually postponed the ban of TikTok downloads and the app after legal push back from BtyeDance.

tiktok brandgraph trend chart

Top Content for TikTok

BrandGraph recorded a spike for Airbnb when it trended on social media after actor Will Smith announced he’ll be listing the famous mansion from his show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” on the vacation rental website. The unprecedented collaboration is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which first aired in Sep 1990. According to Airbnb’s website guests will stay in Will’s Wing of the Bel-Air mansion which will feature bold graffiti art, posh interiors, and timeless family portraits. The Airbnb listing goes live on Sep 29 at 11:00am PDT and is only available to groups of two Los Angeles County Residents for just $30. Those who aren’t LA residents have a chance to learn to DJ with Will Smith’s close friend and co-star DJ Jazzy Jeff through an online experience on Oct 1 (which is now sold out).

airbnb brandgraph trend chart

Top Content for Airbnb

NHL’s Dallas Stars are trending as they inch closer to winning their second-ever Stanley Cup. On Sep 14, the Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 securing their third conference title. The last conference title the Stars won was almost 20 years ago in 1999. Now the Stars face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning and are currently tied 1-1. The Lighting also only has one Stanley Cup win and three conference titles. Hockey fans are taking to social media to express their excitement for match-up even more so since they aren’t able to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

dallas stars brandgraph trend chart

Top Content for Dallas Stars

Mega tech company Apple trends after hosting their second Apple Special Event of the year on Sep 15, 2020. During this year’s event CEO Tim Cook walked us through the newest additions and upgrades that Apple will roll out this fall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this Apple Special Event was pre-recorded at Apple Park in California and shared online. This is a stark difference from past Apple Special Events which are streamed live with an audience of tech lovers reacting to Apple’s latest products. Cook announced a few new Apple products that are available for purchase now including the new iPad, Apple Watch Series 6 and SE. Coming soon in 2020 is Apple Fitness+ powered by Apple Watch. This fitness experience is a subscription service that offers access to workouts created by top fitness trainers. Also coming soon is Apple One which allows users to bundle six Apple services, like Apple Music and Apple TV, into one subscription.

apple brandgraph trend chart

Top Content for Apple

The Denver Nuggets face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers currently lead 2-1 but fans believe the Nuggets can come back. This season is huge for the Nuggets who have zero conference titles and subsequently zero NBA championships. It would be a historic upset if the Nuggets pull through and defeat the Lakers. However, not everyone is holding their breath for the Nuggets to win especially since the Lakers have MVP and All-Star LeBron James backing them on the court.

denver nuggets brandgraph trend chart

Top Content for Denver Nuggets

BrandGraph Trends is designed to help marketers identify, compare, and contrast momentum among brands, topics, and concepts in social media. Powered by IZEA’s proprietary content classification engine, BrandGraph Trends allows marketers to benchmark any keyword against a brand or groups of brands in a general industry or specific category.

Those interested in learning more about BrandGraph Trends can request a product demonstration at izea.com/brandgraph/get-a-demo